Apparatus for ventilating mines.



'rares CHARLES P. KENYON, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING MINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,234, dated January SCI, 1900.

Application filed September 26, 1898. Serial No. 691.868. (No model.)

To all 'lul/tom, rit may concern:

Be it known that l, CHARLES P. KENYON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Iiackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Ventilating Mines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to Ventilating mines.

In the ventilation of mines it is necessary to displace a vast amount of air in a short time in order to clear the subterranean passages from noxious gases, which accumulate during the operation of the mine, and it is required in order to economize that the fan or driving device be constructed on a large scale-that is, it is usually best to ventilate by one fan stationed at theproper point and driving the air through all the ramifications of the mine rather than to distribute fans at different points. The fans now in use are usually of the horizontal type-that is, revolving on a horizontal aXisand,being revolved at a rapid rate, throw the air from them centrifugally, While draftetubes from the mine communicate with the sides of the revolving fan, so as to cause a draft through the mine by a partial vacuum produced near the center of the fan. lly this method it is evident that the air in passing from the air-shaft is first divided into two separate currents, and each of these currents after being deflected, so as to separate them, are then afterward converged toward each other by right angles opposite the ends of the shaft of the revolving fan. This arrangement causes friction in separating the current and again causes friction by the angles which it makes in reaching the fan. The two currents interfere with each other by each driving toward the same point in the center of the fan, and a disadvantage accrues from the 'fact that part of the air must be thrown downward to escape, which is contrary to the natural tendency of the air to rise when it is warmer than the surrounding air, which is nearly always the case in the winter season when mines are hardest to ventilate.

My invention has for its purpose to obviate these difficulties by providing means to draw the air from the air-shaft by a continuous straight upward current, and I provide a fan constructed to revolve over the top of the airshaft on a vertical shaft, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a top View of the fan-wheel, cutting the shaft and members in cross-section. Fig. 2 is an end View of one of the fans looking toward the center of the wheel. Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the fans, showing its connections to the members and shaft. Fig. eis a diagrammatic View representing a mine with the fan-wheel located at the top of the air-shaft. Fig. 5 is a general side View of the fan-wheel and its attachments.

Similar figures of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 designates an air-shaft through which the air is to be drawn from the mine, and 2 is the outside opening, through which further air is let in to form the current. At the top of the shaft 3 designates the fan-wheel, revolved by the shaft 4E and driving-pulley 5. Arranged directly under the cent-er of the fan-wheel is a funnel 6, which may be constructed of boiler-iron or any suitable material and secured to the cross-beam 27 in such manner that its apex will point downward in the center of the shaft and the periphery of the rim will extend to the circle described by the inner lower corners of the fans 7 during the revolution. The fan-wheel is of a peculiar construction. To the shaft 4 is secured the ring or collar l), forming a hub, to which the arms 8 of the fans are attached, and also a similar collar 1l, to which the members l0 are attached. The whole is encircled by the ring l2, which passes through the notches 2l on the ends of the fans and binds them securely together., A pin or bolt 15 extends from the middle of each of the fans through a hole in the ring l2. The fan is secured to the arm S by the clamp 19 and a collar 16, having the lip 1S. The collar 1G is provided with the set-screw 1.7, by means of which the arm 8 may be securely grasped by the inner end of the fan. Curved bolts 13 13, hooking into the holes of the ring, extend throughl holes in the outer corners of the fan, and by drawing inward on those corners after setting the set-screw 17 the fan is drawn into the torsional shape, as shown in Fig. 2, and held that way by means of nuts 14. By this means the slope with the pulley 5.

or pitch of the fan is made greatest near the center of the fan-wheel and Aleast near the periphery. The shaft of the fan-Wheel is journaled to the cross-beams 25 and 27, which are supported by mason-work 26 or other suitable support. The lowerjournal of the fan being the one which receives the greatest pressure during the operation may be constructed so as to permit the use of antifrictionballs 24 or other antifriction material, and the whole is arranged at the top of the shaft when lined by suitable material 28.

The operation is more fully described as follows: The fan-wheel being arranged as shown is driven at the proper speed by any suitable motor by means of a belt connecting It Will be noticed by my construction of the fans the inner portions of the fans have a greater pitch and cover more Vertical space than the outer portions. The torsion of the fans is such that When revolved the efficiency or upward lifting force of both ends of the fan are about equal. In a fan where this is not done the air, having given it a certain motion by one part of the fan, is resisted by the other part. I arrange the fans so that they have a uniform eficiencythrou ghout their lengths. 1

When the air is given a strong upward motion by the fans in the annular space over which they revolve, there becomes a strong tendency to form a counter current down through the center of the wheel, so as to fill the partial vacuum underneath.A I prevent this by attaching the funnel 6 so as to guard the entire open center of the wheel and expose smooth surfaces to the air, so as to create no appreciable friction, and thus the draft must be supplied from the mine-shaft, which -is connected intermediately with all the ramifications of the mine and ultimately with the inlet air-shaft 2, the air passing through and the fan being revolved in the directions indicated by the arrows.

What I claim, and desire to secure byIietters Patent, is-

l. Afan-wheel having fans or blades 7, provided with notches 12 at their outer ends,and ring 2O encircling said fans and extending through said notches, the said ring being adapted to hold the fans at their proper rela= tive distances and also in their proper plane; in combination With bolts or rods 1S extending from said ring to the corners of the fans aforesaid, and the said bolts being curved and provided with long threads and adjusting-nuts for the purpose of drawing the blades into twisted positions substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a fau-wheel, having fans '7 and ring 20, encircling and engaging with the outer ends of said fans; with curved bolts 13, and the collar 16, provided with setscrew, the said collar adapted to engage with a radial arm of the fan-wheel, and in such relation as to give the fans or blades a twisted or varying slope when their outer corners are secured by the curved bolts aforesaid as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES P. KENYON.

Witnesses:

A. M. MATTHIAs, A. MGIIUGH. 

